The Session is here and so
are you. Question is…How
did you get here?!

O

ver 200 youths from across
Europe descended on Doga
Holiday Resort on Friday
23rd March. Suitcases, laptops and other luggage tumbled
into reception where delegates
were met by the session Orga
team.
Introductions, excitement and
anxiety characterised the arrival
of the delegations. It also sparked

to tell. It was also an opportunity
to reflect on our journeys’ to the
session. It was 2008, and I was
headed for the 58th International
Session of EYP in Liverpool. I
learnt back then, that a wrong
turn to the left can make you
miss your flight. With no other
possibility of travelling that day, I
started hoping for the yellow submarine to emerge from its dark

Little did they know that the call to prayer could be so
terrifying.
curiosity amongst the journalists
as to how the delegates arrived
and whether they had any stories

waters and rescue me.
One would think that lightening never strikes twice. Well it

did, as I arrived late to Istanbul
2012. One day after sending all
my blessings to the “helpful”
ladies at the check-in counter,
I was on board with the most
annoying children in the world
and managed to stuck in a traffic
jam. But all’s well that ends well,
and late at night I was enjoying
funny karaoke in Istanbul, while
(re-re-re-re) telling my story to
everyone.
This whole experience got me
thinking: How did you guys arrive here?
My two day trip seems nothing compared to members of the
Serbian delegation. Forced to
4

THECLASH

TERESA STADLER

Syria
Two car bombs struck intelligence and security buildings in
the Syrian capital Damascus, killing at least 27 people and wounding about 140, according to state
media. Explosions occurred as reports emerged that Saudi Arabia
was preparing to deliver arms to
travel by bus, they were on the
road for forty hours, a couple of
which were spent at the Bulgarian National Palace of Culture – a
disappointing state fair showing
random daily routine objects.
With humour they did appreciate the presented automatic doors,
showers and windows. Not as
much as the Turkish cookies
though…
Feeling luckier than they do?
Well, the Romanian delegation
has some stories to tell!
They arrived in Istanbul early
in the morning, after a fourteen
hour bus ride.
Check-in
was at the
tourist
agency,
where
some
slept
on
their
luggage,
while others
decided to explore outside.
The courageous spirit was
shattered at 4a.m. when they
heard a loud voice on the dark
streets of Istanbul. Little did they
know the call to prayer could be
so terrifying.
As if this was not enough, on
their subway ride back to the bus5

es, they lived through a real life
mob-like story. How else can you
describe a couple of suits entering
the subway, leaving a suitcase in
the middle of the compartment
and then walking away?
You can tell a lot about a
person by the way they pack. The
thing that comes in last is usually
the last minute reminder. Dutch
and Ukrainian delegations are
pretty practical in that sense:
cameras, passports, insurance,
also some bread and a knife. But
hey, they can always have a picnic, no matter what. Some pack
last the
towels,
others
national
costumes...
myself, I
always
pack
last my
favourite bag of
sweets. Just in case my
ride gets delayed at some point.
Laughter and tears go handin-hand with departures and
arrivals.
I just cannot help but wonder:
how is the Turkish delegation
feeling? You know, being just one
taxi ride away...

NEWS FLASH
Syrian rebels.
Kony 2012
Jason Russel, co-founder of
the Invisible Children charity,
was detained by police in San
Diego on Thursday after being
spotted apparently nude in the
street, screaming and interfering
with traffic. His wife claims that
the global attention caused by the
viral campaign video led to his
break-down.
Albany
Black and Latino law-makers,
fed up over the frequency with
which New York City police officers are stopping and frisking
minority men, are battling what
they say is a racial divide as they
push legislation to rein in the
practice.
Sports
Football fans have united
in support for Bolton Wanderers mid-fielder Fabrice Muamba,
who was fighting for his life on
Saturday night after collapsing
on the pitch during an FA Cup
quarter-final match.
Art
A painting dismissed for years
as the work of an unknown artist
has been identified as a piece by
Vincent Van Gogh after x-rays revealed an image of two wrestlers
fighting underneath the floral still
life.
Extinction
In a report to the government,
the RSPB warns 33 species of
birds, including penguins, parrots and albatrosses, are now
critically endangered across the
remote shores of UK overseas
territories. The RSPB warns that
more money needs to be invested
in protecting their habitat to save
these birds.

THECLASH

IT’S TOUGH

ALI MURAT GALI AND MONIKA GHOSH

AT THE TOP

Ezgi Teksoy and Oğulcan Torun, the Head Organisers, give us some insight to the build up
towards the 69th International Session and their hopes and fears for the next ten days.

H

oşgeldiniz - A warm welcome
from Ezgi and Oğulcan,
which “you have to say with
a big smile on your face, just
like we did when you first arrived.”
The excitement buzzed
through the officials`
team on arrivals
day and the Head
Organisers were
no exception
to this. One
of their aims
was to make
everyone
feel welcome
from the
moment they
checked-in so
as to confirm
the famous
Turkish hospitality.
As delegates we
tend to not fully value
the time and effort spent
organising an International
Session. Head Organisers have to
bid for a session almost two years
before it actually happens, after

We, as the organising team,
had the time of our lives
which, not only do they carry
on balancing studies with their

social life, but also have the mammoth task of putting together a
session.
“After an exhausting period of
sixteen

lives.”
Speaking of the organising
team, before the session, three
jam-packed organising weekends took place when the whole
team met to discuss the plans for
Istanbul2012. “Due to budgetary
restrictions, a number of organisers had to be accommodated with a large
number of spiders.
This, coupled with
arachnophobia,
called for a lot of
funny memories to
be cherished.”
From arachnophobia to rabid
canines, Ezgi and
Oğulcan’s biggest
fear for the session
is “the dog at the gas
station” as opposed
to difficult transfers or
venue issues.
Lastly, on behalf of the
Head Organisers, here is a
message of their hopes and good
wishes for the session:
months, it is finally happening
“This is it. Now we are all here.
and given the perfect weather and Our biggest expectation is that
pleasant atmosphere we forgot
everyone enjoys their time in
every obstacle we had encounIstanbul and takes the most out
tered. But of course it meant a lot of this experience. We are sure
of time, energy and dedication. In Istanbul is going to be a blast.”
the meantime we, as the organising team, had the time of our
6

THECLASH

NOURA BERROUBA AND CHARIF VAN ZETTEN

Name:
Country:
Position:

PRESIDENTIAL
WORDS OF ADVICE

Ruben Wagenaar
The Netherlands
President of the session

Some words of welcome from
the man who runs it all.

S

ome welcoming words for the
delegates...
“First of all, welcome on
behalf of the entire officials
team. I am very excited to have
everyone here. It feels like yesterday that I went to my first
International Session while it was
in fact about 7 or 8 years ago.
Congratulations to all of you for
making it to this session, for being here in Istanbul surrounded
by people from more than 30
countries speaking different languages and all being so excited.
Now is your moment to take the
chance that has been offered, and,
speaking from my own experience this is something you will
never forget. The organising team
has been working for two years
to prepare this session and we are
all incredibly happy to actually
have you here. It is going to be
an amazing twelve days and the
adventure has only just begun!”
And now some more practical
advice...
“In the beginning feel confident and go to your committees
knowing that everyone is in the
same position as you: excited,
nervous and not knowing what to
expect. Together it is this group
of people who are going to shape
the experience that is ahead of
us. So take the effort to go up to

7

Trust in yourself that you are going to be able to handle this challenge,
forget about your worries and live every single moment of this session.
people that you do not know yet,
even if it might be a bit frightening, and take this chance to get
to know who Europe is and who
these people are because this is a
once in a lifetime opportunity.”
Ruben’s feelings at his first International Session...
“I basically went there without
expectations, but at the welcoming night when hearing all the
different people from different
countries speaking in different
languages I realised that this was
actually real. At that moment I
felt very lucky and privileged to
know that there were ten days

coming which few people would
be able to say they have had such
an experience. I also felt a bit
scared and had so many questions. As the days went along I
discovered all the pieces of the
puzzle eventually fit incredibly
well together.”
One last pearl of wisdom...
“Do not be afraid. You have
been selected to come here for a
reason. Trust in yourself that you
are going to be able to handle this
challenge. Forget about your worries and live every single moment
of this session.”

THECLASH

EUROPE EN TOUR
35 European Associations and Organisations
27 Member States
over 250 people
1 Session
“Bridging cultural divides” is not only our motto
but also our goal, and what better way to explore
this than travelling between Europe’s landmarks
within the lines of The Clash

HUNGARY:

THE SZIGET
FESTIVAL

SARA RINALDI

7

days, over 1000 performances,
400.000 people.
The Chemical Brothers,
MGMT, The Kooks, Justice,
Radiohead, The Prodigy, The
Crystal Castles, Goran Bregović.
No, we are not talking about some
fancy concert in London or Berlin. We are dealing with the not
so popular, yet really charming
Budapest.
When you think about fun
and multiethnic events Budapest
is probably not the first city to
pop into your head. Our first
choice would most likely be London, New York or Barcelona.

ITALY

SARA RINALDI

V

enice Film Festival: The one
good thing after 1321
Let’s face it: Italy has managed to somehow become
the black sheep of Europe when
it comes to role model nations.
As an Italian, I can only imagine
how the rest of the world sees us.
I can picture in my head the average European thinking: “Oh, they

As unbelievable as it may
sound, one of the most exciting
festivals of the world, the Sziget
music festival, is actually taking
place in the very core of Hungary,
Budapest.
The Sziget is held every summer, usually in August, in the
“Obudai-sziget” (Old Buda
Island), a small island on the
Danube. It was created in 1993 by
Peter Muller Sziami, a Hungarian
artist, and put together by Gerendai Karoly. At first it involved just
young Hungarian artists but it
quickly became an international
event, and one of the most important European music festivals.
Why is it so special?
What makes the Sziget festival different from other similar

events is its variety; from electronic music, rock, punk or pop
to reggae or hip hop you can
basically listen to every kind of
music you could possibly think
of.
But it is not just the music, it’s
the atmosphere. Spending seven
days at the Sziget festival means
non-stop music, dancing performances, cinema, theatre, circus,
street artists: it’s a bit like jumping into a parallel universe.
What is really unique to this
event is that people are not mere
spectators; they actually contribute to the festival. Just walking
around the island it is surprisingly common to bump into live
improvised performances or
photo exhibitions on trailers.

used to make such good movies
thirty years ago”. Long pause.
“Oh, I absolutely love Italian
literature, Dante Alighieri is my
favorite”. Just to be clear: Dante
died in 1321.
But despite the fact that Italy’s
golden age seems to be way past
us, we still have a few things to
offer to the world apart from
pizza and outrageous public
scandals.
Taking as an example the
movie awards industry: the Os-

cars have always been in the spotlight, but can we honestly trust an
award that nonchalantly gave the
movie Avatar (yes, the upgraded
version of Pocahontas, except for
the fact the people are blue) nine
Academy Award nominations?
The Venice International Film
Festival is the oldest and one the
most prestigious international
film festivals in the world. It was
founded in 1932 by Count Giuseppe Volpi and it usually takes
place in Venice, every year, at the
8

THECLASH
beginning of September. Its most
famous award is the Golden Lion.
What is particularly uplifting
about this Film Festival is the
movies do not get snubbed just
because George Clooney is not
part of them. Independent and

visionary filmmakers like Kim Ki
Duk, David Lynch, Ang Lee or
Lars Von Trier have been nominated and received awards several
times at the festival.
The Venice Film Festival is
basically one of the few events

left that actually has the courage to honour controversial and
independent movies. After all, us
Italians do something good every
once in a while.

GERMANY

Berlin visiting two of the most
interesting museums of the world
for less than 15€. The Neues Museum was left in ruins for decades
after World War II and is nowadays one of the greatest Egyptian
museums in the world, filled
with ancient Egypt`s plunder.
Amongst the exhibits surely you
would all recognize the famous
bust of Queen Nefertiti.
If you feel tired and hungry
after observing all these Papyrus Collections and beautiful
relics, you can grab a delicious
Bratwurst whilst walking to the
Checkpoint Charlie Museum.
This will be our next stop, as it
is one of the most iconic names
and mental images of Cold War
Berlin. This was a high security

checkpoint compared to others
along the Wall and yet real spies
and smugglers did pass it. The
bad news is that by the time the
Wall had come down, the wooden shed had been replaced by a
metal one, so what you can see
now is a replica.
By taking a train to Munich we
get to visit the Alte Pinakothek,
an enormous neoclassical building housing one of the world’s
most important collections of European paintings from the 14th
to18th centuries. Just a quick
warning: Rubens and Dürer fans
may have to be subdued by the
guards!

meat. In this region you can savour delectable Provençal cuisine
including bouillabaisse made
from the market’s fresh fish, visit
a family’s goat farm to try their
freshly made goat cheese, or an
olive mill to taste newly pressed
oil. As an alternative, you can decide just to sunbathe on a terrace
drinking wine whilst overlooking
the very vineyards that produce
it.
From Southern France you
can continue your trip to Bordeaux and taste their famous
paté, cassoulet and confit de canard. You can visit stunning medieval fortresses and walk in the
forests. If you get tired you can

always have a break for a glass of
wine and a piece of foie gras.
The Rhône Alps region and
its largest city Lyon boast an
extraordinary number of worldfamous chefs and restaurants,
making it an international Mecca
for foodies. Lying between
Paris and the Cote d’Azur, and
sharing borders with Italy and
Switzerland, this is a very fertile
wine-growing region which offers picturesque villages with the
traditional “Bouchons”, informal
and local restaurants specialising
in sausage and salami, the famous
coq au vin, and its many cheese
varieties.

ANNA BORRELL

T

op 3 museums of the country
Germany is known for many
things: efficiency, good beer
and people with blonde hair
and fair skin. But if we want to go
deeper and discover the cultural
side of this country there is one
thing that we definitely cannot
miss: museums.
Financial prosperity, artistic
flair and academic curiosity have
helped the Germans develop
some of the finest existing museums. We will now take you to the
top 3 museums in Germany, so
welcome on board!
First of all, we will travel to

FRANCE
ANNA BORRELL

B

e prepared for your mouth to
water, because we are going
on a culinary tour to France.
Whether described as haute
cuisine or hearty home-made
dishes, gastronomy is serious
business for the French. Around
every corner of this country you
will find patisseries, bakeries,
and world class wine shops. Join
us and discover three beautiful
regions.
Provence is known as the land
of lavender, fine wines, flavourful
produce, fresh fish and succulent

SESSION SURVIVAL
GUIDE
NOURA BERROUBA
An introduction to make your stay at this session easier. Let us clear up all uncertainties. Will
these suggestions be the difference between your death and survival?

Y

ou have arrived, and ahead
of you are 10 days of fun and
hard work. Having questions
and concerns is absolutely
natural considering the challenges you will face. This guide
aims to quash those questions,
allowing you to fully enjoy your

the next 10 days, which is both
rude and quite lazy.
Keep an open mind. This will
create an understanding and
cooperative atmosphere.
Everything you see, eat, and
touch at this session has been
provided for by the organisers.
Next time you see them, be sure
to give them a huge smile.
After bonding during Teambuilding, Committee Work and
General Assembly are waiting:
Prepare yourself academically.
By having thorough research,
your contributions to discussions
will be more relevant. In other
words, if you still are not prepared, enjoy your night studying!
You do not have to agree with
others’ opinions but always be
sure to respect their standpoint.
Not only are you expected
to defend your resolution dur-

Taste as much as you can, explore as much as possible, and
live and breathe Europe.
stay and ensure you return home
with the same happy expression
with which you arrived.
The session will begin like
all EYP International Sessions
-Teambuilding:
Try to remember names. If
you do not, you risk calling your
committee members “you” for
11

ing GA, you should also dress to
impress!
After long days of discussions
and bonding, you will want to
relax and have a good time:
Eurovillage will provide you
with the opportunity to get a
taste of Europe (literally). Taste
as much as you can, explore as

much as possible, and live and
breathe Europe.
The evening activities will
challenge you to show your best
outfits and moves.
Some of us are blessed with
talents. Be it musicality, knowledge or sport. Take the opportunity to show those skills at Euroconcert and get your 15 minutes
of session fame.
Although you might want to
spend your free morning in bed,
a sightseeing tour of Istanbul will
give you much more. You should
at least visit Hagia Sophia, the
Blue Mosque and the Old Bazaar.
This last piece of advice could
be the most controversial. It even
goes against our survival instincts: No matter how tired you
are, you need to make the most
of the session. Although sleeping
is important, to truly experience
the session, you must immerse
yourself in all aspects as this will
ultimately be more fulfilling.
Everything that happens
between your first and last moments of the 69th International
Session is up to you. Make every
moment worth remembering, express your opinions and listen to
each other, but most of all: enjoy
it to the fullest!

THECLASH

WHEN WORDS ARE
NOT ENOUGH

SAGA ERIKSSON

What to do when asked the inevitable question of “so what there is no room for politics.
is EYP?” Here are some tips on having “the talk” with your However, as we all know EYP
is about more than just politics,
friends and family.

M

y girlfriend is way too
impressed by the fact that I
do EYP. She thinks it’s the
coolest thing ever, yet I do
not think she has a clue of what
we actually do here. It just sounds
impressive. Maybe I should make
her take a quiz when I get back
home, just like she made me take
a quiz after giving a lecture on
the differences between lip balm,

this daunting task, and let me tell
you, even after over 15 sessions,
explaining doesn’t get any easier.
Au contraire, it gets harder as you
start taking more of the session
formalities for granted.
There is no easy way to go
about it. During my EYP career
I have done a lot of tours of high
schools trying to harvest delegations for the Finnish regional ses-

Don’t get bogged down by big technical terms such as
Teambuilding, Committee Work, General Assembly and
Opening Ceremony.
lip gloss and lipstick. I didn’t pass
the test.
Back to my original point of
trying to explain EYP to the ‘nonEYPers’, be they your friends,
significant others or family members. We have all been faced with

sions. And it’s always an absolute
train wreck. As soon as you utter
the words ‘youth parliament’, you
lose most of the class. They zone
out and retreat into their own
little worlds where everything is
a scene out of a chick flick and

though merely stating that will
not be enough.
The most accurate, yet slightly
inappropriate, metaphor I have
found for trying to explain EYP
compares it to that time your
parents wanted to have “the talk”.
They told you that sometimes
when people fall in love they
want to spend more time together and do more things together,
but you should wait until you are
ready. You should only do it with
the person you love even though
not everyone else will. You
should never take it lightly and
remember that it should always
be meaningful. I guess the same
would apply to trying to explain
EYP.
Don’t get bogged down by big
technical terms such as Teambuilding, Committee Work,
General Assembly and Opening
Ceremony. They will just make
your friends feel uncomfortable
and confused. Instead try and tell
them that sometimes people who
love discussing current affairs,
debating and attempting to solve
the burning political questions of
Europe get together and do EYP.
It is not always with people you
know before hand, and it can take
different forms. Lastly remember
to mention that we never take
it lightly and each experience is
always meaningful.

12

THECLASH

CALEB MORELL

EUROPE’S IDENTITY CRISIS AND THE GREAT
EUROPEAN EXPERIMENT
In times of economic uncertainty our common European identity is at its
most vulnerable. However, in the midst of the fiery debate on immigration,
we often forget our not so distant past. Solving Europe’s identity crisis needs
us to bear in mind our proximity to the immigrants, as we are only a few
generations from being in their shoes.

What could better represent Europe’s
cultural diversity than Istanbul, a
city bridging the East and the West.

D

espite having come far in
unifying legislatively and economically, Europe is currently facing a serious identity
crisis. In the last few years Europe
has been shaken to its core by an
economic crisis so severe that it
threatens the foundations of the
EU. It is in these uncertain times
that our common European identity is most vulnerable.
We have seen rise of the
far-right and nationalist parties
across much of the EU, causing
the shrill and often hysterical
debate on immigration to intensify. However, in the midst of this
fiery debate we often forget our

13

own not so distant past.
Just one hundred years ago,
instead of flocking to Europe
people were fleeing it. Between
1836 and 1914, over 30 million
Europeans left Europe to travel to
North America. They fled from
famine, poverty, and political and
religious oppression in the hope
that, in return for hard work and
honest living, they could begin a
new life.
Sound familiar?
It certainly does to me and the
other 48 million people living in
the EU that were born outside its
borders.
The growth of emigration to
Europe began after World War II
and further increased since the
1980s as a result of people from
developing countries wanting to
escape war, oppression, natural
disasters or poverty. Not so dissimilar from our forefathers who
left Europe in the 19th century.
Opposition to these new
Europeans didn’t take long to
form and today there are growing
Nationalist movements in every
European country calling for a
cease on immigration.
Solving Europe’s identity crisis
will involve digging through the
murky past of wars, suspicion

and betrayals, to reach the set of
common values which developed
through the Renaissance, Enlightenment and Industrial Revolution to where we find ourselves
today. Imagination is necessary to
remember Europeans are only a
few generations from being in the
same shoes as the immigrants we
are now discussing.
But we need to do more than
just remember history – we need
action. It is in this vain that the
69th International Session of EYP
in Istanbul will make a difference
by providing a forum for many
of these important issues to be
discussed.
The European identity builds
both on the diversity and common bonds of individual countries, much like an individual
countries builds on the diversity
of a multicultural population.
The result is the great European
experiment – a blend of cultures,
languages and traditions, of
which we are all a part.
What could represent said
diversity better than EYP? Furthermore, what more fitting place
could there be than Istanbul, a
city bridging the East and the
West. A city bridging the cultural
divides of Europe.

14

THECLASH

I READ IT IN THE
TABLOIDS SO IT MUST
BE TRUE
TERESA STADLER
Washington
According to a Gallup poll
released on Thursday, a majority of Americans believe the best
and most satisfying aspect of the
entire 2012 Presidential primary
experience has been the opportunity to spend extended time in
the company of four terrific guys.
“I mean, how many opportunities do you get in life to spend
quality time with even one smart,
charming, likeable, sensitive, and
downright lovely human being,
let alone four at once!”, says poll
respondent Marie Sedran.
Facebook
An alleged bigamist in the US
was caught out after Facebook
suggested that his two wives
might become ‘friends’. Ellenora
Fulk had recently split up with
her husband Alan when she
was ‘introduced’ to Terri Wyatt
O’Neill by the social networking
site. She didn’t recognise her from
the photographs on the profile
page – but she did recognise the
man standing next to her, drinking champagne beside a wedding
cake.
Psychology
A shop assistant from Leeds
has fallen in love with the Statue
of Liberty. Amanda Whittaker,
27, suffers from a psychiatric
disorder that causes her to form
romantic attachments to inanimate objects; previously she was
in love with a drum kit. Whittaker says she visits the statue whenever she can, but most of the time
‘she is my long-distance lover and
I am blown away by how stun15

ISTANBUL PROVERBS
ALEX NOMPILAKIS

People have always been wise. A simple proof can be found in
their witty sayings. Below are some examples to fit the 69th
International Session of the EYP.

T

he first step is the hardest.
You’re telling me! So many
things to write about! But it
is already beginning to feel
better.
Variety is the spice of life.
Then why bridge the cultural
divides? OK, obviously, it’s a joke.
JK!
Three and the cuckoo! It means
“way too few people”. Luckily, this
is not the case in this session. Almost three hundred people from
all over Europe have gathered in
Istanbul for this über-cool EYP
event.
A friend to all is a friend to
none. Be yourself, it’s the best
and easiest way to be! You do not
have to be likeable to everyone.
A monkey in silk is a monkey
no less and clothes don’t make the
man. Keep in mind that good
manners matter the most. Don’t
stress too much about what you
wear or how you look.
Silence gives consent. Here’s
a reason to speak up, especially
in Committee Work. You don’t
want to be responsible for a weak
resolution by keeping it quite and
letting the bad ideas in, do you?
Do not put a sock in your
mouth. This basically means you
should not be silent but raise

your voice and express your
opinion. GA will be your ultimate
chance.
Early to bed and early to rise
makes a man healthy, wealthy
and wise. Does it make him/her
happy though?! Working is good
and leading a balanced life is essential when the programme is
so intense. But hey! We’re here to
have fun as well!
The truth is in the wine. You’ve
probably already realised that. If
not, don’t worry, plenty of parties have been scheduled by the
organisers. Just remember to act
responsibly.
Laughter is the best medicine. I
hope you’ll get to smile and laugh
a lot throughout the session.
Out of sight, out of mind. This
is definitely true. So, don’t forget
there are people who love you
back in your home country. Be
sure to contact them every now
and then during the session.
On the other hand, time has
wings. So, don’t neglect to find
beauty and enjoy every single
moment of the session.
The greatest thing since sliced
bread. This applies to what you’re
holding in your hands right now!
Enjoy!

ning she is’.
US Marine
A U.S. Marine sergeant who
started a Facebook page called
Armed Forces Tea Party may be
dismissed from the corps. Ac-

cusations include the violation
of Pentagon directives on political speech by active soldiers and
anti-Obama posts.